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The Vegan Whole30 – Why and How?

If you’ve been a long-time follower of the Born Again Minimalist blog you’ll know that I have been in the vegetarian end of the pool before (for a total of about a decade, on and off) and repeatedly swam back to the waters of omnivorism. Ethical omnivorism, I called it, or Humaneitarianism. I only ate meat, dairy, and eggs from ethical sources. Animals should have a healthy, happy life followed by one bad day – that was my line of thinking. After all, animal protein and fat have their place in a healthy diet.

Well, y’all, I’ve come back around and I’m feeling confident that I am now well equipped with enough knowledge and research to never feel deprived or lacking nutrition on a plant-based diet. I’m vegan and about 99% sure it’s here to stay. That 1% is for all the people who want to ask me if I’d kill an animal to survive on a desert island. I’ll write more about my decision to become vegan in later blogs. This one’s about the Whole30!

What is the Whole30?

Have you heard of it before? You can get the complete run-down on their website but here’s the basic premise:

Health starts with food. Everything you put in your mouth either helps or hinders your health. Many food types (such as dairy, legumes, grains, sugar, and alcohol) can cause chronic inflammation of the body. The Whole30 removes these questionable foods for a full 30 days and reintroduces them in a slow, controlled manner afterward so that you can test your observations and understand any unknown food intolerances you might have.

No making “healthy” or “compliant” treats or foods made with approved ingredients

That last one confused me at first. Why can’t I make banana ice cream, dang it? But their reasoning is really good:

Continuing to eat your old, unhealthy foods made with Whole30 ingredients is totally missing the point, and will tank your results faster than you can say “Paleo Pop-Tarts.” Remember, these are the same foods that got you into health-trouble in the first place—and a pancake is still a pancake, regardless of the ingredients. – See more at: http://whole30.com/whole30-program-rules/#sthash.bF9lEqrQ.dpuf

The final rule was one of the hardest to follow: NO MEASUREMENTS OR SCALE FOR THIRTY DAYS. Yes. You can weigh yourself on Day 1 and Day 31, but no weighing in or taking measurements for the duration of the program. It’s about health, not weight loss. (On a related note, I lost over 9 lbs).

Why Vegan?

Most people on the Whole30 or a paleo diet rely on meat. Vegans and vegetarians typically use legumes as a plant-based protein source, but I would be without those staple food items for my 30 day adventure.

Where do you get your protein?

This question is the bane of vegan/vegetarian existence. It is the most commonly asked question from meat eaters when someone mentions their plant-based diet.

For the duration of the Whole30, I ate plenty of nuts, seeds, and seed butter for protein and fat. Also, many plants have a good amount of protein! Green veggies such as spinach and kale, broccoli, brussels sprouts, and asparagus have high protein content, and mushrooms are also a good source of plant-based protein. Green beans, snap peas, and snow peas are “approved” legumes on the Whole30 plan because they are in a green pod and are considered more veggie than bean.

Here is a question for you: Where did your grass-fed beef get all its muscles?

Can a vegan do a real Whole30 or is it modified?

The official recommendations of Whole30 say you can’t technically do the recommended Whole30 plan while vegan, because they recommend a moderate amount of animal protein. They include the following suggestions to doctor the Whole30 to minimally impact gut health while doing a Whole30-ish plan on a vegan diet:

If you simply choose to include off-plan dairy or plant protein in your Whole30-ish plan (this also applies to vegans, save dairy), here are our best tips:

Dairy: Prioritize pastured, organic, fermented sources like yogurt or kefir. You could also use a whey protein powder from grass-fed, organic sources, which would provide the protein you need with fewer downsides than other dairy products (including cheese). You may want to experiment with goat’s milk or sheep’s milk, if you know cow’s milk products aren’t well-tolerated.

Legumes: Your best choices are minimally processed, fermented soy products like tempeh or natto, or organic edamame (soybeans). You can also include non-fermented, organic soy (like extra-firm tofu) and various legumes in rotation. Avoid non-organic soy, processed soy products (like “burgers” and “cheese”), and peanuts.

Grains/Pseudo-Cereals: Avoid all gluten grains, including seitan (which is made from wheat gluten). Pseudo-cereals like quinoa are less likely to cause disruption to the gut or immune system than other grains.

Protein Powders: A hemp- or pea-protein powder is also an option for you, although you’d have to include quite a lot of it in your diet to get any substantial amount of protein. Read your labels carefully to make sure these protein powders include as few inflammatory ingredients as possible.

But I like to go all in. I followed all Whole30 food restrictions and completed the thirty day experiment with no plant sources beyond those I already discussed. However, I did make a few adjustments to the plan due to my plant-based diet.

Snacks: The official guidelines advise you to have three meals a day and not have snacks. But let me tell you what happens when you eat only vegetables: they take up a lot of room in your stomach without a lot of calories. To get enough calories to function, I had to eat more frequently throughout the day. Check out this representation of caloric density:

Totally filling myself up with veggies or fruit would result in about 400-600 calories per meal. In order to eat 1800-2000 calories per day I needed to eat a couple snacks. My go-to snacks were trail mix (mixed raw nuts with raisins and coconut flakes) or an apple with nut or seed butter. Sometimes I would have a sweet potato or baked sweet potato fries as a snack as well, if I was feeling under-carbed.

Fruit: Official Whole30 recommendations advise limits around fruit. They’re not concerned with the sugar or calorie content, but if participants lean on fruit as a sweet treat, then they aren’t getting to the underlying habits and cravings the Whole30 can address and correct. However, following a plant-based diet means that my options for food are fruit, vegetables, seeds, and nuts. I ate a lot of fruit for breakfast every day. It gave me whole-food calories with plenty of micronutrients! Favorite breakfasts were sliced bananas with blueberries, melon chunks, pineapple chunks, or banana smoothies toward the end of the Whole30 when I desperately needed a change.

The Whole30 guidelines also recommend you eat fruit WITH your meals, not alone as a snack. My issue with this is that fruit tends to digest faster than other foods, so I typically try to eat it on an empty stomach to avoid gas and bloating from fermentation in my stomach or digestive tract as the fast-digesting fruit gets stuck behind slower-digesting vegetables and starches. No thanks! I usually eat my fruit for breakfast on an empty stomach.

My Experience and Results

Second week: Feeling REALLY GREAT about all food options available to me, creative meal planning and recipes

Third week: Coasting. Same old-same old on foods I knew I liked and could cook easily.

Fourth week: Boredom. Ready for this to be over. Not because I can’t wait to have a bean-rice-pizza binge but because this is expensive and I want to be able to eat other things

Bonus: I don’t crave sugar anymore. I get plenty of natural sweetness from fruit and have no desire to run back into the sugar bowl for solace.

Grocery Costs

Yes, I spent more on food than I usually do. In a typical week I spend $50-$75 on groceries to happily feed myself and my boyfriend. On a typical Whole30 week I spent an average of $100 per week. Some of that was random one-off stuff like buying a jar of tahini to make some truly terrible squash based hummus. That is ten bucks I’m kind of mad about. But I am hoping to make actual chickpea hummus with it later so I reserve judgment. (Can you return an open jar of tahini to Whole Foods? Let me know).

Could I have done the Whole30 on a budget? Yes, I think I could. If I do it again, I will be much more careful about my meal planning and grocery budgeting and try to do it on about $50-$80 per week instead of $100+.

I did my grocery shopping at the following places:

West Side Market: LIFESAVER. Were it not for the market I could have easily spent twice as much money on produce.

Aldi

Earth Fare

Whole Foods

Exercise and Sleep

I didn’t stick to a workout regime on the Whole30. When I start juggling lots of balls at once, I have a tendency to stress myself out, over-fixate on perfection, and go down the path of disordered eating or thinking. I worked out if I felt like working out, and I slept in when I felt like sleeping in. My main focus of the Whole30 process was to (1) get control of my food habits, and (2) integrate healthy sleep habits into my routine.

Mood

I feel pretty great! I had highs and lows in my mood as anyone would throughout a month. I was a little irritable in week 1, but not the evil scary monster I expected myself to be. I felt well rested and energetic most days. I feel “lighter” in spirit and body.

Physical Changes

I noticed in the mirror that my belly bulge was going away. Starting the Whole30 at 213.8 pounds, I expected a few pounds of fat loss but wasn’t holding my breath for a big change. Color me surprised when I weighed in on Day 31 to see the number 204.2 staring back at me! That’s a 9.6 pound loss in 30 days with minimal exercise, just focusing on healthy food and sleep.

What’s Next?

The reintroduction phase of Whole30 allows you to slowly reintroduce potential problem foods one at a time and notice any changes or symptoms. Here’s the sample 10-day reintroduction schedule from Whole30:

Day 1: Evaluate legumes

Day 4: Evaluate non-gluten grains

Day 7: Evaluate dairy

Day 10: Evaluate gluten

After each day, go back to Whole30 eating for two days while noticing any symptoms or effects from the food. Decide how, how often, and how much to incorporate these foods back into your diet, if you choose to continue eating them at all.

Since I don’t eat dairy as a vegan, I get to evaluate my foods in the reintroduction period over a seven day period. Here’s my plan:

About Gluten

For a couple of years now, I’ve been largely gluten free. However, I do occasionally have some sourdough bread (the fermentation of the starter helps to break down the gluten to make it easier to digest) or sprouted grain bread (same deal, easier to digest). These foods don’t typically cause me any symptoms that I have noticed. I have had accidental gluten to varying effects, sometimes experiencing bloating and gas afterward and sometimes not. So I know something is going on with gluten and me. In the spirit of trying things, I’m going to reintroduce it to note its effects once and for all.

The Sugar Dragon

My primary goal for this Whole30 process was to eliminate sugar from my diet and destroy my sugar cravings. Before the Whole30, I was eating oatmeal with brown sugar and maple syrup once or twice a day, having dark chocolate several times per week, and enjoying other sugary snacks. For me, sugar is a really tricky food item. It’s 8 times as addictive as cocaine and I have a hard time keeping it in “moderation.” I can quickly become obsessed. For me, sugar is not a healthy food. I don’t plan on reintroducing sugar to my diet anytime soon. If I figure out a safe moderation steam-release on my sugar dragon, I will report back. For me, I think I will stick with fruit.

Soy: Friend or Foe?

There is a lot of research out there on soy. Some sources sing its praises as a heart-healthy, protein-rich superfood. Other sources say it is full of phytoestrogen and gives you man boobs. Since there is so much soy controversy, I plan on keeping my intake limited and not relying on it as a staple food item.

Chipotle

Can’t stop, won’t stop.

Exercise

Since I can only focus on one giant project at a time without treading the edge of mental dysfunction, I didn’t spend a lot of time focusing on exercise during the Whole30. Afterward, though, I am planning a new fitness regimen that I am very excited about! I’ll be training for a 5K using the Couch to 5K program as well as doing strength training three times a week. The combination of long cardio and strength should help to bust me out of the plateau that the Whole30 helped me break!

Onward and Upward!

Is a vegan Whole30 possible? Yes.

How does it make you feel? Like an unstoppable plant-powered badass.

Would you do it again? I am really not sure. I think I might do a Whole21 or a 30 day sugar detox instead of a complete Whole30.

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24 thoughts on “The Vegan Whole30 – Why and How?”

I’m wondering why you went back to being vegan? Do you feel your body does better with that, is it for ethical reasons or both or something else? I promise I do not want to start a “my-diet-is.better-than-your-diet” (I get so tired of those), I’m genuinely just curious.

I truly seem to do best as an omnivore, but I can’t eat too much of any food group. Dairly is fine, but not too much. Nuts are fine, but not too much. Fruits are fine but not too much and so on. I don’t tolerate grains very well though (so much bloating ugh!), but I do have plans in the future to do the GAPS introduction diet at least, so I hope to be more resilient in the future. I would like to rely more on plant foods, both for ethical reasons and for health reasons. Not that I believe that quality meat isn’t good for me, but again, eating too much of anything doesn’t seem to work for my body, so more plant foods that I’m maybe not eating that much of now is likely to be a good thing. 🙂

Hi Maria – thank you for your comment, it’s good to be back! I went vegan again for several reasons, the biggest of which is the ethical consideration of using animals for food. I also feel pretty good eating plant based whole foods. I think the biggest downside of being vegan is the possibilities of relying on vegan junk food and preprocessed stuff, which isn’t the healthiest. I feel best when I eat whole foods 🙂 Plus I am getting to know and love so many new vegetables and ways to prepare them.

Hi Caitlin – I’m about to dip my toe into a vegan Whole 30. Did you have any lifesaver go-to recipes that you relied on? What did you typically do for breakfast? Thanks so much for sharing your experience and let me know that it’s possible!

For breakfast I had a hefty amount of fruit. A couple of bananas sliced with blueberries, or melon chunks. Toward the end I was making green smoothies, which aren’t strictly banned but aren’t encouraged either since you miss out on “chewing your food” but when you do this vegan you need to really pack in the calories. I recommend you track calories to make sure you’re getting enough.

I followed this basic outline, since I had to include snacks to keep enough calories in me:

Caitlin
I don’t know if you are still blogging, since this post was a year ago… I have been a vegetarian for 25 years, and recently (8 months ago) became a strict vegan. I have noticed that I am eating more grains than ever before and have put on some weight, which is killing me!!! I am considering the Whole 30 vegan style, but am concerned that I won’t get enough protein. I appreciate the recipes you provided links to, but do you have a go to website, of social media support group for ideas and accountability?? I do a plant based protein powder with almond milk daily for protein, and rely on Quinoa and nuts for the rest of my protein. I am not totally clear on the Whole 30 vegan modifications/restrictions. Thanks, and you have already been helpful. -Marcie

Hi Marcie! Still blogging, just a little delayed at times 🙂 thanks for writing. I attempted another vegan Whole30 but this time around it didn’t work as well for me. I actually ended up eating eggs, and I modified to include legumes for protein. I was tired, just exhausted, for two weeks straight. So I cut my losses on Day 17 and have gone back to a diet with a reasonable amount of grains – though I have continued to avoid sugar and gluten. Those are my two bad trigger foods, and I realized my goal was just to get off sugar and gluten with the Whole30, which I did. So, hooray for the Whole17 😉

In your case, I’d evaluate what your GOAL is… is it weight loss? Are you prepared to continue this lifestyle change indefinitely? Being a grain-free, legume-free (essentially low carb) vegan is tough. It’s possible. But tough. If your goal is to simply cut back and re-learn good habits, find new ways to love vegetables and fruit, and try new recipes, then definitely try out a Whole30 with options to modify by including organic tofu/tempeh, legumes, etc. for protein since you are not eating meat. I don’t mean to talk you into or out of a Whole30, but definitely check in with yourself and your goals to decide what you want to get out of it. And then cut yourself a little slack if you end up modifying or ending early. It’s not a plan for everyone, especially not vegans/vegetarians.

As far as support, I had a small FB group of a couple friends doing the challenge with me, but it wasn’t very active. The message boards on the Whole30 website should be pretty helpful though!

I just stumbled upon this, and it’s really helpful. I’m currently vegetarian (I still eat a little dairy but not very much and no eggs) and have been hearing a lot about Whole30 lately. When I looked it up, I was intrigued but then noticed the reliance on meat and absence of many plant-based proteins I eat (such as legumes). I did notice the modifications you mentioned that were on their site for vegetarians/vegans, but as you noted, I wouldn’t really feel like I was following the program if I didn’t go all in. I’d also be interested to know if any of the foods mentioned do affect me negatively as I have experienced some of the issues they mention on their site such as tiredness and digestive issues. I am excited to know someone did this without too many modifications to the actual food list. This will give me some ideas on how to proceed if I decide to try the program. Thanks!

Thanks for the post! My sister and I are doing it. We’re on Day 13 and she likes meat…I do not care for it. I’m not vegan but could be. I don’t do cow dairy (I do eat Sheep’s Milk Cheese on occasion, 2-3 times a year!), I watch grain intake, am VERY minimal on my processed food intake blah blah blah. I have been seriously bloated for about 10 days…am feeling like a blimp about now. I appreciate the post and the recipes. It’s encouragement!

Hi Caitlin,
Thank you for this blog.
I’m planing to start the Vegan whole 30 tomorrow and was wondering if seaweeds allowed. I eat the Trader Joe seaweeds snack twice a day and its a life saver for me.
I’m vegan or more Plant base and my goal to lose weight. I eat tooo much carbs as vegan.

This is really helpful. It will give me the courage to go ahead and give it a try. Groceries today!! Side note, there is sooo much you can do with tahini. I like to dilute it with water and add some salt and honey/lemon for a great dressing or sauce. Try adding it to blended dressing or sauce I like whole orange, tahini and some vinegar of choice.

I’m glad!! Make sure to pay attention to your body, and remember it’s ok to track calories to make sure you are eating enough, if you can do so without obsessing over the numbers. It’s extra tough on a vegan diet!

This is awesome information! I was just thinking of starting a Vegan Whole30 because I’ve done the Whole30 before when I was still eating meat. I experienced so many awesome benefits when I was eating that way, the main one being that my eczema cleared up. Now that I’m plant-based, I was hoping to see what the changes would be. Now I’m inspired to start having read your post. Thanks!

Hi Caitlin, when you were on vegan Whole 30, did you eat beans (black, kidney, green)? I have done the Whole 30 2 times but that was when I was eating meat and eggs. I have now minimized my intake of animal proteins due to my urologist recommending that I eat more beans and nuts because I have kidney stones. My urologist said that for me eating animal protein causes my kidney stones. So, I’ve been eating more beans and replaced eggs and avocado at breakfast for kidney beans and avocado. Sounds like you ate fruits veggies and nuts for 30 days, is that right? Did you eat beans?